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Friday, 26 July 2013

Press Release: The Second International Coptic Symposium draws to a close at the iconic St Mary-le-Bow Church in London

Press Release

For immediate use

26 July 2013

Coptic
Orthodox Church UK

Media
and Communications Office

Coptic
Orthodox Church (Europe)

Media
and Communications Office

The Second International Coptic Symposium drew to a close with the
final lectures and reception at the iconic St Mary-le-Bow Church in London on
24 July 2013.

The closing ceremony was attended by His
Excellency the Ambassador of Egypt and the Consul General, as well as numerous
other official guests representing Her Majesty’s government, House of Lords,
ecumenical and inter-religious leaders, members of the diplomatic core and
academics.

'Adaptation, Assimilation and Representation', the theme of the
Symposium held at the Coptic Orthodox Church Centre from 21 to 24 July 2013,
attracted 25 academic speakers from 10 countries around the world, including:
researchers, historians, cultural heritage specialists, art historians,
linguists and political sociologists to present a diverse and broad perspective
on various aspects of Coptic Culture.

His
Grace Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the
United Kingdom, who gave a final address at the closing ceremony, said:

In this and similar
Symposia, we are reminded of the wealth and heritage that is the foundation of
Coptic culture as lived today in Egypt and throughout the world. Having our
closing ceremony at St Mary-le-Bow Church further illustrates the integration
of centuries’ old Coptic culture embedded within a very real and lived
contemporary British context.

The
conference organiser Dr Mariam Ayad, Associate Professor of Egyptology at the
American University in Cairo, said:

The vision behind
this series of Symposia is to make academic scholarship more accessible to
members of the community so that we can learn about and appreciate our past and
our heritage. The breadth and depth of the topics presented this year, dealing
with art, music, language, religious practice, and aspects of social history,
illustrates the diversity and beauty of our heritage. So this is an opportunity for us to look to
our past, informing our present.

Lectures will be gathered and published in due
course. The publication from the first Symposium can be found here